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History is both made and
celebrated this weekend, as Formula 1 embarks on its first-ever
triple-header with the revival of a legendary venue: Le Castellet in France,
rapidly followed by Austria and Great Britain in successive weeks.
For this return to the Paul Ricard track, Pirelli has selected the P Zero
Yellow soft, P Zero Red supersoft and P Zero Purple ultrasoft compounds.
As the French Grand Prix at Paul Ricard was last run in 1990, this is
essentially a brand new circuit for the teams and drivers – although it is
well-known as a testing venue thanks to its warm weather and
state-of-the-art facilities.
THE CIRCUIT FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW
- The track has been completely resurfaced in preparation for the French
Grand Prix, resulting in smooth yet high-grip asphalt that is similar in
character to Barcelona. These characteristics mean that the tyres used this
weekend will have a tread reduced by 0.4 millimetres, as was the case in
Spain and as will be the case again in Silverstone at the beginning of July.
All three circuits feature new asphalt.
- Weather conditions in the south of France at this time of year are
expected to be very warm, which should increase wear and degradation rates.
- To prepare for the French Grand Prix, Pirelli’s engineers have taken
recent asphalt samples to come up with an appropriate tyre nomination.
- At 5.8 kilometres, Paul Ricard is one of the longest laps of the year,
with a number of overtaking opportunities designed into the layout. |
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MARIO ISOLA - HEAD OF CAR
RACING
“Paul Ricard is effectively an entirely new circuit for everyone, but we
have some idea of what to expect not only from Formula 1 testing, but also
through our experience of GT racing, with the track having recently hosted
the latest round of the Blancpain GT Series.
From this, we can expect high grip but low degradation, similar to
Barcelona. One other factor could be the weather though, as high track
temperatures are possible over the weekend, which would increase thermal
degradation. With the teams being not so familiar with the new grand prix
track layout, free practice will be even more important than usual to get an
accurate read on tyre behaviour. Only after then will we have a better idea
of what the most likely strategies might be”.
WHAT’S NEW?
- Most things are new: as well as the new surface, there’s new paddock
infrastructure and new grandstands. The track has also been widened in
certain places (such as the S de la Verrerie) to promote overtaking.
- To celebrate the return of Paul Ricard to the calendar, Pirelli is
undertaking a number of promotional activities that also go beyond Formula
1. Keep your eyes open for some special guests…
- Having missed the last round in Canada, Formula 2 and GP3 also returns in
France. |
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